With the advent of computers and networks, companies have been using computers to store information and to communicate that information between the computers. The computers associated with a network are also known as “nodes.” As companies have grown, they are using more and more computers to store and communicate ever increasing amounts of information. As the numbers of computers increase, the companies are encountering more problems in maintaining an inventory and the lay out of their computers and the associated software assets so that the company's Information Technology (IT) personnel can detect and diagnose networking problems as a part of managing the computers.
Further, companies have always had to protect information that is considered to be sensitive. With the advent of computers, sensitive information can be communicated between computers over networks. People with malicious intent can gain access to a company's sensitive information, for example, by infiltrating a computer that is associated with the company's network. Therefore, companies want to maintain an inventory of their computers, and the software assets that are associated with the computers, so that their computers are properly managed.
The drawings referred to in this Brief Description should not be understood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted.